Pine bark vs fir bark

[bonsairxmd]

So I can't find pine bark fines anywhere around here or soil conditioner. I can find fir bark in the form of reptibark at petco which is 100% fir bark fines requiring no sifting. Can fir bark be substituted for pine bark in my soil mixes for my trees?

Thanks....

 

[wireme]

I personally consider fir bark to be better than pine bark.

 

[sbarnhardt]

Don't know if you're near a Home Depot or not, but if you are you might want to check there for pine bark fines. The one near me had some as of last weekend. Big bags

 

[bonsairxmd]

Neither Lowes nor Home Depot has it around here. Why is fir bark preferred?

 

[tmpgh]

I went to home depot last week and browsed their pine bark mulches. I found a few bogs which were quite fine. I sifted hald the bag for fines and got qbout 4 gallons each fines, which i will use for cuttings, small plants and preboneai, and nice sized stuff for my soil mix. I'll check the brand when i go back out later.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

At Lowe's in our area, Evergreen brand Soil Conditioner is chopped pine bark, screened, it's about 70% usable.

 

[bonsairxmd]

Thanks Brian I'm not sure why the lowes here does not carry that. I checked again today.

 

[coh]

I've never seen that stuff up here, either...and I've been to pretty much every Lowes, Home Depot, and garden center/nursery within driving range.

I've generally bought the finest pine bark mulch I can find, and just sifted it...most of it is pretty large and winds up in the nursery container/growing out mix, but I can get a fair amount of fines as well. Just takes some time and effort.

 

[wireme]

Neither Lowes nor Home Depot has it around here. Why is fir bark preferred?

Only by me as far as I know.

Pine bark is more inhospitable to many soil fungi and microorganisms. I fertilize organically and need the critters to make the nutrients available and like the concept of an ecosystem in a pot.

Of course don't believe everything you read, might be written by an idiot or a lunatic or both even.

 

[Stan Kengai]

The only reason fir bark is superior to pine bark is because of the shape of the particles. While pine bark is generally flat, fir bark is more cubed. So fir bark acts (physically, with regard to fluid mechanics) more like a typical soil component, and it will take a little longer to break down.

 

[wireme]

Unless you compare say ponderosa bark to alpine fir bark, you will find the opposite. But I guess we are all speaking of Doug fir. I avoid absolutes like only myself it's a complicated world out there.

 

[kirk@localbonsai.com]

So I can't find pine bark fines anywhere around here or soil conditioner. I can find fir bark in the form of reptibark at petco which is 100% fir bark fines requiring no sifting. Can fir bark be substituted for pine bark in my soil mixes for my trees?

Thanks....

I would take trees of identical specie and age, put some in pine and some in fir - see the results for yourself in a year or two

 

[Cypress]

I can find fir bark in the form of reptibark at petco which is 100% fir bark fines requiring no sifting.

I'm using the reptibark from petco right now. It's the perfect particle size already, and no sifting at all. I use it right out of the bag. After this season if the fir bark murders all my trees, I'll let you know. But i'm guessing it will have just been me if any get murdered haha.

Also, fun fact of the day: Douglas fir is not actually a fir... and it's Genus name 'Psuedotsuga' means false hemlock. Also not a hemlock. Some people got really confused when trying to figure out how to name it, for sure.

 

[Lazylightningny]

I sift the fines and big pieces out of nursery soil. Plenty of good stuff in there. The rest goes into the grow garden.

 

[coh]

I'm using the reptibark from petco right now. It's the perfect particle size already, and no sifting at all. I use it right out of the bag. After this season if the fir bark murders all my trees, I'll let you know. But i'm guessing it will have just been me if any get murdered haha.

Also, fun fact of the day: Douglas fir is not actually a fir... and it's Genus name 'Psuedotsuga' means false hemlock. Also not a hemlock. Some people got really confused when trying to figure out how to name it, for sure.

Is this the stuff you're referring to? http://www.petco.com/product/4956/Zoo-Med-Premium-Repti-Bark.aspx

What is the particle size like compared to turface (if you have that for reference)? Any chance you could post a photo of the bark next to something for scale (ruler, coin)?

Thanks,

Chris

 

[Cypress]

Is this the stuff you're referring to? http://www.petco.com/product/4956/Zoo-Med-Premium-Repti-Bark.aspx

What is the particle size like compared to turface (if you have that for reference)? Any chance you could post a photo of the bark next to something for scale (ruler, coin)?

Thanks,

Chris

Yea, that's the stuff. And sure, here's a pic of some of it next to a quarter. The average particle size is definitely larger than your average turface particle. Yet turface is kind of on the small side of the spectrum.

 

[wireme]

Looks like good stuff!

When I've used fir bark it's been a bit bigger size but only cause I'm beating apart chunks I peeled off logs at our sawmill site. I would use that stuff.

 

[bonsairxmd]

I finally found pine bark fines in the form of a soil conditioner at my local nursery but will try both and see which I like better. I like the fir bark size and consistency but prefer the dark brown color of pine bark over the reddish reptibark look.

 

[kirk@localbonsai.com]

I too prefer the darker color, more natural looking.